Vehicles, such as cars and trucks, are used on a daily basis for transporting people and commercial cargo as well as providing private and public services. Engines, transmissions, and other vehicle components operate under a wide range of mechanical stress, pressure, and climates. As time passes, the vehicle components experience degradation, such as oil wear, mechanical fractures, increased transmission and non-transmission assembly component temperatures, and/or oil leakage.
Adding to such degradation, many original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) of automobile and truck-engines have opted to address increasingly restrictive federal emissions regulations with technology that involves higher engine operating temperatures, higher cooling system temperatures, and/or higher exhaust system temperatures. As a result, driveline components are subject to higher operating temperatures. It is increasingly important to monitor vehicle conditions such as transmission operating temperature, other vehicle component temperature, volume of oil in the transmission, and other features and processes in a vehicle. There is also an increasing need to prevent damage to vehicle components based on these conditions.
One method for monitoring temperature in a vehicle is to use a sensor to measure, for example, oil-sump temperature and to warn the driver of potentially dangerous temperatures via an indicator. Likewise, transmission oil volume can be monitored using sight-gauges and/or dipsticks. However, these methods provide the driver with limited information (e.g., a simple indicator light) and/or require the driver to stop and inspect the vehicle to prevent damage or further damage to the vehicle. In some cases, significant vehicle damage has already occurred before a driver can stop the vehicle. Accordingly, there is a need for improved methods and systems to prevent damage to a vehicle.